JACK Martin should have been the story out of the Suns’ season-ending clash with West Coast.

Jack Martin was one high point for the Suns against West Coast. Picture: Richard GoslingSource:News Corp Australia

The kid who saw his raging Rising Star favouritism go up in smoke in the first three minutes of Round 1 because of a shoulder injury, showed in the last game of the season with a classy 19-possession four-goal performance, just what the hype was about.

The Suns are still young and because few actually thought they would make the finals this year, the preference is to focus on the positive steps they take towards a future that still looks bright.

They stank in their 52-point loss to the Eagles, but the game was a typical meaningless final-round encounter and should be judged accordingly.

Even victorious Eagles coach Adam Simpson said that.

But the end of the year has been totally unacceptable and coach Guy McKenna is starting to sound like the desperate man in the witness box who cannot get his story straight.

He enters media conferences looking for a fight but sees no signs for concern that frequently his players don’t arrive to games with the same mindset.

Yesterday he reverted to the old excuses from the first two years in the competition saying the reason the Suns won three from their last 13 games this season was because they were too young.

McKenna said he and list manager Scott Clayton had discussed bringing in midfield depth through the trade and free agency periods to complement Dion Prestia, David Swallow, Jaeger O’Meara and Harley Bennell who, he says, were still not capable of producing consistent week in and week out performances.

“I think the players that have just completed their fourth season have shown what they need to show, but should we expect them to play out 22 games at full intensity? We’d love them to do that but it doesn’t, it doesn’t even happen to Chris Judd or Gary Ablett,’’ he said.

He is right, but do his players really need to keep hearing it?

Guy McKenna’s team struggled against the Eagles, and Andrew Hamilton says the coach is reverting to old excuses to defend his side. Picture: Richard GoslingSource:News Corp Australia

“Relax fellas, you’ll dominate in a year or two,” is how they seem to be interpreting his message.

Right now they are underperforming yet McKenna called the year a success because they went from eight wins to 10.

Maybe that is why they put their feet up in July.

McKenna also reckons there was no need to be worried that Martin, his youngest player, showed the most fight and willingness to run against West Coast.

“No I wouldn’t have thought so,’’ he said.

“I would have thought that was our youngest side and most inexperienced side so if a young player was going to stand out that was probably the game he was going to stand out in.

“No I am not alarmed by that, no.’’

In fact, veterans Greg Broughton and Matthew Warnock replaced Trent McKenzie and Tim Sumner in the side that played yesterday, making them older than last week — not younger.

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